


30 Kisses

by Axelrocks



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:07:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axelrocks/pseuds/Axelrocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol decides it's about time she does something about her feelings for Daryl. At first, it starts out with her own little experiment, planting a kiss on the redneck once a day for a month, but then the group gets involved and starts making bets. Will anything good come out of this? And will Daryl ever kiss her back?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** Part One **

The idea came to her one night while she was on watch with Daryl. It was a beautiful night; the moon was full and shining silver lighting over the prison yard. After adjusting her rifle so that it lay neatly on her back, Carol leaned her forearms on the slightly rusty railing of the guard tower. It was all so romantic. The silver light, the warm breeze and the thousands of stars that twinkled above their heads.

Glancing over at Daryl, who had his back to her, she let out a sigh. Too bad the one person she wanted to get romantic with was oblivious to her feelings. It had been a year since they had found shelter in the prison. It had also been a year since Merle set off to kill the Governor and in turn was killed himself.

Their threat was eliminated but Daryl had lost the only blood relation he had left. He was alone now in the world, just like her. Since the death of his brother, he had become withdrawn, but with the arrival of the surviving Woodbury citizens, he had no choice but to talk to her. They had to share a cell after all.

Things were better now, though. He had effectively mourned his brother and then reinforced himself as part of the group. He spent more and more time with her. They would have watch together; he'd sometimes take her on hunts and once in awhile he would help with dinner. He didn't help cook, but kept her company so that the chore went by faster. He had become her best friend.

At first, she had been happy with the relationship. She was just glad to have him talk and be comfortable around her, but she knew that she couldn't keep her feelings hidden forever and now she longed to take their relationship further. All she wanted to do was kiss him.

"You see somethin' out there?" His voice caused her to jump. She hadn't heard him approach her.

"Oh, uh, no. I was just in my thoughts." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him shoulder his crossbow and lean his own arms on the railing beside her.

"It's been pretty borin' lately. Ain't nothin' out there but them fuckers and even they seem to be disappearin'."

"I'd rather it be boring then have to be running for our lives." She stood up straight and watched him.

"Yeah." He stood up, too, and looked at her. "Well, Glenn and Maggie are supposed to be takin' over our watch soon." He smirked. "I doubt they'll be gettin' any watchin' done, though."

She laughed. "Let's just be lucky that we have watch before them."

Daryl grimaced when his mind comprehended what she'd said. "Poor Rick."

Lifting her arms over head, she stretched and yawned. "I'm glad that we have first watch, so we can go to bed for the rest of the night."

"You know, you're lucky." He moved back to his spot on the railing and didn't look at her as he spoke. "Rick wanted to know if he could go on watch with me, but I told him I already asked you. Rick talks too much."

"Oh really?" She joined his side again and nudged him gently with her shoulder. "And I don't?"

"Naw." He shook his head. "'Sides I like talkin' to you most of the time. There's only so much talk about Carl I can handle."

"Rick has his hands full with that one." Carol sighed sadly. If Sophia had lived, would she have started acting out like Carl?

"I don't envy him. I know I wanna give that a kid a good beatin' for how he's been actin' lately. He thinks he's grown and doesn't have to listen to nobody."

Carol remembered an instance where she had been making breakfast and Daryl had been chuckling softly next to her. Carl had walked in and demanded why Daryl hadn't gone hunting that morning. She had to grab Daryl's arm before he ripped the kid a new one.

"You know," he began speaking again and rubbed a hand over his scruff. Her eyes zeroed in on his lips. Those perfect lips that all she wanted to do was kiss. One day she vowed she would. Maybe tonight...

She inched closer to him, hoping he didn't notice and her eyes remained on his mouth.

She nearly fell on her ass when he turned his head to fully look at her. "So, what do you think about that?" He asked.

Think about what? She hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"Um..."

He rolled his eyes. "Did you hear a word I said?"

She shook her head.

"I think we should go on a run or somethin'. Could use some things and it's gettin' mighty borin' in here."

"Okay. That sounds good."

"You'll come with me, right?" This time his whole body faced her and he waited for her answer.

"Of course!" She smiled. "I've been dying to get out of here. I think I'm starting to get a little stir crazy."

"Then it's settled." He gave her a curt nod. "I'll talk to Rick once he gets off watch and plan it."  
\--------------------------------------------------  
On their way back to their shared cell that night, Carol lagged behind the hunter and got lost in her thoughts. She should have kissed him in the tower. She wanted to, had wanted to for a year now, and there had been many perfect opportunities.

Would he have run away from her? Probably.

Maybe she could ease herself into it. A kiss on the forehead to start, then one on his cheek, then the corner of his mouth and then she would finally hit home on his lips. She'd have to space it out, though, she wouldn't want to freak him out.

An idea suddenly popped in her head and she quickened her pace to her cell and went right to her bed. Under the mattress, she kept a notebook and pen hidden. There was nothing secretive in the notebook, besides a few doodles and maybe a few journal like entries but that was it.

Making sure Daryl was settled in his bed, she wrote; _Thirty Days_ on the top of the first clean page she flipped too. Closing the book with a smile, she slid it back under the mattress.

Thirty days of kissing, that's what she would give Daryl. Each day would equal one kiss. First, she'd start with the forehead, then the cheek, the corner of his mouth and then his lips. They would happen at random times. If, during the thirty days, he kissed her back then her experiment would be a success. If he didn't kiss her back, then she would know he had no feelings for her.

The thought saddened her, but she knew she just couldn't sit here and wait for him to make a move. She'd have to be the brave one and this is how she was going to be brave.

With thirty days of kissing.  
\-------------------------------------------------  
The first kiss happened that morning.

They were sitting side by side, eating breakfast. The rest of the group had already finished and were now doing various things around the prison and left the two alone. Carol didn't mind. It gave her an opportunity to start her experiment.

"I'm going to go and see if Beth needs help with Judith." She stood up and collected their empty bowls. "If you need me, I'll probably be by her crib."

"'kay." He mumbled, but didn't make a move to stand up.

Now was her chance. So, with a deep breath she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. She felt him tense under her lips, but didn't stick around to see his reaction. She was already half way across the room, dropping off the dirty dishes and briskly walking out of the room.

On her way to Judith's crib, she passed the cell they shared and stepped inside for a minute. Like any good scientist, she had to record the results. Pulling out the notebook, she settled on her bed and wrote:

_Day One: Kiss on the forehead. No kiss back._

"What're you writing?"

Carol startled when she heard the voice and quickly slammed her notebook shut. Looking up, she found Maggie standing right in front of her. How had she not heard the young woman walk in?

"Nothing."

Maggie sat on the bed next to her. "I saw the word kiss. Are you writing a romance novel? Because if you are, I would totally read it."

Carol couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm not writing a romance novel."

"Well, what is it?" She was persistent.

"It's nothing."

The brown-haired woman sat up straighter and with a smile. "It's a diary, isn't it? Someone kissed you! Was it Daryl? Oh, God, please tell me it was him. Glenn and me are having this little bet and he thinks Tyreese will make a move on you before Daryl and I told him that he was wrong."  
Tyreese? He had a thing for her? Well, she sure as hell hadn't noticed.

"No one kissed me, Maggie." _But I kissed someone._

"Come on, Carol." The younger started to whine and pout. "I'm so bored and gossiping sounds so nice right now."

"Fine." She finally relented and opened the notebook. "I'm doing a little experiment on Daryl and everyday for the next thirty days I'm going to kiss him and see if he kisses me back."

Maggie's eyes widened. "Really? Finally, one of you is doing something about that! I bet he'll kiss you back after the first kiss."

"Nope." Carol shook his head. "It was just a kiss on the forehead, though. I wanted to start off slow so I wouldn't scare him off."

"That's good." Maggie agreed. "But I bet he'll kiss you back the first time you kiss him on the mouth."

"Did I hear someone say bet?" Suddenly Rick was in the doorway, smiling at the both of them.

"I'm betting Carol that Daryl will kiss her back the first time she kisses him on the mouth." Maggie spoke up.

"Maggie!" Carol cried. Oh Lord, what the hell was she doing?

"What, Carol?" She asked innocently. "I figure we could make this a game or something. It's been slow around her lately and we need something to spice it up."

"Spice what up?" Glenn's head poked in next to Rick.

Carol groaned. It just kept getting better and better.

"Looks like Maggie wants to start a betting pool on Carol kissing Daryl." Rick turned his head and answered the Korean.

"Carol kissing Daryl? I wanna see!" Beth's soft voice came from behind the two men in the doorway.

Carol wanted to grab her pillow and scream.

"Okay, everyone come in and we'll start." Maggie stood up and ushered them in. "Glenn, kind of keep on eye out in case Daryl comes by, alright?"

Her boyfriend nodded and stood close to the doorway.

"Can I see your notebook, Carol?" The older Greene girl asked.

With a sigh, she handed it to her and watched as she flipped to a clean page.

"Okay, I'll start." Maggie held the pen poised over the sheet. "I bet that when Carol kisses him for the first time on the lips, he'll kiss her back. If it happens, I get out of my week of dishes. Rick?"

"Well, I know Daryl and I know how he flinches from human contact." Carol nodded. "So, I say after a week or so of kissing. Would that be the seventh kiss, then?" He looked over at the Carol for confirmation. "And if I win, someone has to take my watch for a week. How about someone who has it before me and," he pointed a look at Glenn and Maggie. "Clearly doesn't do any watching when they are on it?"

Both Glenn and Maggie avoided his gaze and Glenn had a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Carol couldn't help but smirk at the couple.

Maggie was the first to recover and after writing down Rick's bet, she looked over at Glenn. "Your turn, honey."

He smirked and looked over at Rick. "I think it's gonna be longer than a week before he kisses her back. You have to know that he's gonna be all grouchy for at least a week because he won't know what to do. So, I say two weeks, the fourteenth kiss. If and when I win, I want to get out of walker clean-up. Daryl and Tyreese kill them and I'm stuck with dragging the bodies and burning them."

Maggie wrote it down and then looked at her sister.

"Well, I saw it'll take two kisses on the mouth." She looked right at Carol as she spoke. "He's going to be so surprised after the first one, he won't kiss you back but the next kiss he'll be ready for it."

Carol smiled at the girl. Beth was so sweet.

"And what do you want to get out of it if you win, Bethie?"

"Cooking." The blonde-haired girl answered. "I want to get out of cooking for a week." She gave Carol an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Carol." She knew who would be stuck with the cooking if she didn't do it.

"It's okay." She smiled. She was finally coming to grasp with what was happening and she supposed they could all use a bit of fun, even if it was at her and Daryl's expense.

"Alright, it's settled." Maggie announced. "After a month, Carol will tell us who the winner is. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded.

Maggie handed Carol the notebook and with a quiet good luck, she followed the rest of the group out of the cell.

Carol set the notebook on her pillow and stood up. She didn't know what she had just gotten herself into, but she hoped that everything would turn out all right and Daryl kissed her back.  
\-------------------------------------------------  
"Hey."

Carol jumped at his voice and stopped humming the lullaby she was humming for Judith, who laid sleeping in her arms.

"What's up?" She turned to him and found him leaning against the railing by Judith's makeshift crib, chewing on his thumbnail.

He didn't look at her as he talked. "I jus' talked to Rick and he said that we could go on that run tomorrow, if you still wanted to go."

"Of course, I do!" She gave him a smile and gently placed Judith back in her bed. Leaning down, she gave the baby a quick kiss on her soft cheek. "I still want to get out of here."

"Okay. We'll leave early in the mornin' and came back before dark, if everythin' goes smoothly."

"Sounds good." She smiled and wiped her hands on her pants. They had suddenly gotten sweaty. Maybe it was the thought of being alone with Daryl for a full day and possibly kissing him that was making her nervous.

"See ya later, then." He pushed himself off the railing. "There's a small herd of walkers by the south gate and Tyreese wants to go out and kill a few."

"Alright, be careful."

He gave her nod and walked away.  
\--------------------------------------------  
Well, fuck, that hadn't gone like he expected! Daryl stomped back into the cellblock, ignored everyone and walked right to his cell.

He had thought Tyreese had asked for his help, because they usually killed walkers together. That wasn't the case today. Sure, they killed some walkers, but instead of doing it in silence like they usually did, the big black man had decided he wanted to play twenty fuckin' questions.

 _"So, what's Carol to you?"_ A friend.

 _"Is she your woman?"_ No.

 _"Do you want her to be your woman?"_ A shrug.

 _"How would you react if another man started to act interested in her?"_ Look, are we here to kill walkers are do ya jus' wanna stand around gossipin' like a couple of teenage girls?

Every single question had been about Carol and he had gotten sick of answering them. He didn't know how the hell he would react if some guy hit on her. No one had before. However, the thought did send his stomach in knots, but he ignored it.

It was true, Carol wasn't his woman and he wasn't sure if he wanted her to be his woman, either. She was his best friend and he liked spending time with her. She had been the person he'd gone too after Merle's death and she was the one he talked to the most.

When she had gotten lost in the tombs and he thought her dead, it almost felt like a part of him was missing.

Did that mean he had feelings for her?

There was also times where he wanted to kiss her and hold her close, but was that just male part of his brain reacting to an attractive woman? Carol was an attractive woman. She didn't have the striking beauty of either Maggie or Beth, her beauty was quieter and softer. He liked it.

So, he was attracted to her, liked spending time with her and felt lost if she wasn't near. Did that all mean he was in love with her?  
\-----------------------------------------  
A green notebook lying on Carol's pillow caught his eye when he stomped into their cell. He had seen her writing in it sometimes and wondered what it was she wrote about. Glancing around, he walked over to it and picked it up.

It was just so tempting.

Carol was making dinner and wouldn't be anywhere near there. He'd have plenty of time. But wasn't this a invasion of privacy? He was about to set it down when he paused.

_One page, that's all I read. Jus' one page. _He flipped it open to a random page. _'Sides, she's jus' askin' for someone to read it by leavin' it out like that. Doesn't she usually keep it under her mattress, anyways?___

__His eyes widened when he looked down at the page his thumb had opened to. In big loopy letters across the top it read, _'Carol kissing Daryl bet'.__ _

__Fuck, what had he just gotten himself into?_ _


	2. Part Two

** Part Two **

The next day dawned bright and Daryl found himself sitting awake. The whole night had been a series of tosses and turns, which had probably kept Carol up as well.

If what he had read yesterday was true did that mean Carol was going to kiss him again today? Would it be on the forehead again or would she go for the lips? Should he kiss her back? Closing his eyes, he brought up the page he had read. Who had been the first kiss bet? Maggie. Hell no, was he going to let that girl win. No one would hear the end of it, then.

So, if Carol decided to kiss him on the mouth, he wouldn't kiss her back. No matter how much he'd want to. And hell, he wanted too.  
\------------------------------------------  
Carol's hands fidgeted in her lap while she sat in the truck and waited for Daryl to climb in. Today would be kiss number two, and it would be on the cheek. All she had to do was figure out when the perfect time for it would be. It couldn't come out of nowhere, he might freak and that was the last thing they needed on a run. Maybe after the run as a thank you for taking her with.

 _Yeah,_ she smiled. _That would be a perfect time._

The truck shifted, then, as Daryl finally climbed. Turning the key in the ignition, he turned and gave her a small smile. "You ready?"

She nodded and grabbed the list in her pocket to hand to him. "This is some of the things everyone wants."

Daryl quickly scanned the list and handed it back to her. "We're only goin' to go to a convenience store that's about fifteen miles from here and we'll try to get everythin' on here and if we don't, well then they're shit outta luck then." He smirked.

"Well, the only people who will be out of luck if we don't get what they want is, Glenn and Maggie." She chuckled. "They both asked for condoms. Must be out."

He put the truck in drive and coasted through the gate Carl had opened. Carol waved at the boy before Daryl picked up the speed.

"I say we fuck with 'em. Tell 'em we couldn't find any and watch 'em squirm."

"Daryl!" She cried and swatted his arm playfully. "That's horrible!"

"What?" He gave her an innocent look. "At the rate they're goin', there ain't gonna be anymore condoms left in the state of Georgia. 'Sides there's other people who'd like to have some."

"Why Daryl, do you have a lady friend that you haven't told me about?" The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "'Course not." He mumbled.

The rest of the trip was made in silence and she cursed her big, stupid mouth the whole way.  
\------------------------------------------------  
The convenience store they were going to was set on the outskirts of a town surrounded by trees and overgrown bushes. It was almost hidden by the plants and she knew that was the reason no one had looted it before them. It was like their own private storage place. Each run they would bring more and more back with them.

"Let's make this quick, okay?" Daryl said, holding his crossbow in one hand. It was already loaded and ready to fire in case anything decided to surprise them.

"Okay." She answered and clenched her knife tightly in her hand. She also had a gun strapped to her belt, but knew that she'd only use that as a last resort.

They only had to dispatch one walker each before they made it to the entrance of the store. Daryl carefully eased the door open, just in case anything had managed to get in since the last time they had been there.

Nothing had.

Making sure Carol entered in safely, he took one last look around outside, in case there was a herd ready to surprise them. Everything was clear.

"Alright, you can get all that girly shit and I'll get the other stuff."

"Do you mean pads and tampons, Daryl?" Her big blue eyes blinked innocently at him and hints of a smile tugged at her lips.

"Yeah, get whatever that stuff is called." He walked away, grumbling.

Carol watched him go with a smile. It was always fun to rile him up and plus, she thought he looked adorable when he blushed.

A half hour later, they had several full bags waiting by the door and Carol was just filling her last bag. Daryl was waiting for her by the entrance.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

He nodded. "Found somethin' for you."

Curious, she asked. "What?"

He showed her what was in his hand. It was a Snickers bar.

"It was the last one and I know it's your favorite." He didn't look at her while he talked, but the corners of his mouth started to curve up. "Figured if I didn't give it to you now, one of the others would find it first."

She took it from his outstretched hand. "Thank you." Then, without a second thought, she went up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He looked at her for a moment, cheeks stained a light red and then moved to collect some of the bags.

She sighed and grabbed some bags, too.

 _Day Two: Kiss on cheek. No kiss back._  
\------------------------------------------  
They returned back to the prison before nightfall and everyone helped take the supplies in side. Maggie gave her a questioning look.

She shook her head. _No kiss back._

Maggie tilted her head. _Where?_

Carol patted her cheek and the younger woman got the message. With a smile and reassuring hand on her shoulder, she spoke.

"Don't worry, Carol. It'll happen right after that first kiss him on the mouth."

Once she walked away, Glenn was right there. "Don't listen to her. It'll happen after the fourteenth one." He moved to walk, but stopped, turned to her and leaned in close, voice in a whisper. "Oh, did you get the, um, condoms?"

She shrugged. "Don't ask me. Daryl got all the manly shit." She mimicked what Daryl had said earlier to her.

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Then he was off to find the redneck. She watched him walk away with a shaking head. Oh, to be young again.

"Hey."

She jumped when she heard the voice. Turning around, she found Daryl leaning against the bed of the truck.

"Glenn's looking for you."

"I know." He smirked. "I got somethin' for him." He held up a small box and shook it.

Condoms.

"He was asking about those." She stepped closer to him.

"I know." He stuffed the box into a small bag he had over his shoulder. "Figure I'd avoid him for a couple hours and see how desperate he gets."

"Daryl, that's mean!" She scolded, but felt the corners of her mouth twitch up. It wasn't often she saw the playful side of Daryl Dixon.

"So, are you gonna help me avoid him?"

It didn't take her long to answer. "Of course!" She grabbed his arm and lead him away from the truck. "Come on. Once Glenn realizes you aren't in our cell, he's going to come out here again."

"Do you have a hidin' place in mind?"

"We can go back to our cell, since that will be the last place he'll look and from there we can always keep a look out for him."

"Good idea."

He followed alongside her as they crept around the prison, careful to avoid anyone who would spoil there whereabouts. She felt like a couple of children playing hide and seek. and looking for the perfect hiding place.

"You know, I have half a mind to not give the kid them tonight. He ain't got watch tonight and I would actually like to get some sleep without 'em moanin' and groanin'." Daryl whispered as she peeked around the corner of their cellblock. There was no one in sight and with a tug on his hand, they entered it and with tons of stealthiness, they walked up the stairs to their cell.

Carol blushed. It was true. Glenn and Maggie weren't the most quietest of lovers and when a watchtower wasn't available, the whole cellblock would have to suffer.

"Well, you said that things were getting boring around here," she said and smiled. "Is this your way of spicing things up?"

He smirked at her, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't read. "Well, it's one of 'em."  
\----------------------------------  
Carol had just finished making supper and eating it, when Maggie walked into her cell only minutes after she had retreated there. She had taken food to both Rick and Daryl, who had been outside talking. Glenn had yet to find the Dixon and if he got his way, he wouldn't be found until the end of the day.

"Good, there you are!" Maggie sighed in relief. "Have you seen Daryl? Glenn has been looking for him all day and won't stop bugging me."

"Nope." Carol answered and leaned back further on her bed. "Haven't seen him since we got back from our run. Did you check with Beth? Sometimes, he likes to spend time with Judith."

The younger girl shook her head. "I'm going to do that right now. Thanks, Carol."

It wasn't five minutes later when Daryl sauntered into the cell, a smug grin on his face. "Jus' saw Maggie leave. I think we're pretty safe for the night." He took a seat on the bed by her feet.

"We're horrible people, Daryl." She kicked him lightly in the thigh. "All they want to do is have sex. What's so wrong with that?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong with it." As he spoke, he scooted back on the bed until his back rested on the wall. "For one, I gotta hear it sometimes and for the other, whenever Glenn gets some he goes around the next day in the best fuckin' mood."

"There's something wrong with that?" She grinned. "You know, it is nice to be in a good mood, sometimes."

"Well, his good moods annoy the hell outta me." He grumped. "He acts like he's my fuckin' best friend!"

"Isn't he?"

"Naw." He looked at her sheepishly. "You are."

She knew that what he told her should have made her happy, but she couldn't help but think that was all he thought of her as. A friend. He hadn't reacted the two times she had kissed him, but then again they had probably been more friendly kisses than romantic ones.

"Uh, am I your best friend?" He didn't look at her as he said it and went to work gnawing on his thumbnail. He did that whenever he was nervous.

She decided to mess with him. "Nope!" She teased. "Tyreese is." She had no idea why she had picked him out of everyone else at the prison, but she wished she could have taken it back the moment she had said it.

Daryl tensed on the bed and then started moving to get off. She quickly scrambled to her knees and grabbed his arm. "Daryl, I'm kidding! You had to know that. I wouldn't spend so much time with you if you weren't my best friend."

"Alright." He grunted. "I'm gonna go to bed now. G'night." Then he climbed up the ladder to his bed and settled in it.

Carol bit her lip and watched him. Why had mentioning Tyreese make him angry? She barely talked to the man. Maggie had said earlier that Glenn had told her that he thought Tyreese would kiss her before Daryl. Did that mean that man had feelings for her? If he did, she sure as heck didn't notice.

Had Daryl?  
\-------------------------------------------  
She hadn't been able to fall asleep right away. For hours, she tossed and turned. Her mind was reeling and when she did finally go to sleep, Judith's piercing cries woke her up. Well, she figured she wasn't going to get much sleep anyway, so she got up, made her way to the baby's crib and waved away Beth who had climbed out of bed too.

"I got her." She whispered. "Why don't you go and get some more sleep? There's still a few hours before everyone gets up."

The blonde girl only nodded and shuffled back to the cell she shared with her father. How she could sleep with that man's snoring was nothing short of a miracle.

The little girl in her arms didn't seem to be hungry or needing of her diaper changed. So, Carol just held her in her arms and rocked her until she fell asleep. Which she hoped would be soon. An hour more of sleep sounded so good right now.

"Hey."

His gruff voice sliced through the silence, even thought he had only whispered. She hadn't even heard him approach her. She really needed to start working on that.

"Let me take her. You look dead on your feet." He held out his arms for the baby and Carol gratefully handed her over.

"Thank you, Daryl." And without thinking, once again, she went up on her tip toes and gave him a kiss. This time it landed at the corner of his mouth since she had not been aiming at all. Just that little touch of his lips had her wanting more, but she promised herself she'd only give him one kiss a day.

Unless, he finally kissed her back. Then, she kiss him as many times a day she wanted. Hell, if she wanted, they could spend the whole day kissing and doing other...stuff.

"Are you goin' to bed?" He asked and looked oddly unfazed by the kiss she had just given him. She was too tired to wonder why.

"Yeah. Right now." She gave him one last tired smile and walked back to her own cell. This time she had no trouble falling asleep.

 _Day 3: Kiss on corner of the mouth. No kiss back._  
\-----------------------------------------  
The rest of the day was uneventful. She had made breakfast, did some laundry and even had gone out with Michonne to do some walker killing.

The woman beside her was silent as she killed and Carol didn't mind. She liked her and had been surprised when she hadn't gone back to Woodbury with Andrea after the Governor was killed.

"Saw you and Daryl this morning." The black woman spoke and didn't miss a beat as she stabbed her katana through the fence and into a walker's eye. "Didn't know you two finally got together."

Carol was surprised to hear this coming from her. She didn't think she had concerned herself with the trivial things within the group.

"Oh, uh, we aren't together. I just kissed him on the cheek as a thanks."

"Uh-huh."

"What?" She demanded.

"Nothing." Michonne shrugged. "I just think you two should get together already. I been with this group for a year now and it's getting kind of frustrating to see you two dance around each other. That man clearly has feelings for you."

"Yeah, right." She scoffed. _If he had feelings for me, then he'd kiss me back or something!_

That night it was her and Daryl's turn on watch. They hadn't said a word to each other since they had walked up there, but that wasn't unusual. A lot of the time, they would just stand on watch and not say a word. They didn't have to talk to have a good relationship. But tonight Carol was nervous.

It was another beautiful night. Full moon, sky full of stars and a handsome redneck standing next to her. It was like God himself had decided to set the mood for her.

It was past midnight, she knew, since they had been up there for a few hours already and there shift hadn't started until ten. It was a new day.

"Maggie and Glenn are gonna be up here soon." Daryl said offhand. "Glenn finally caught up to me and I had to give him what he was after." He smirked over at her. "So, you can guess what they're gonna be doin' up here once we leave."

She grimaced.

"Be prepared for happy-as-fuck Glenn, later." He chuckled.

The sound warmed her heart, she rarely heard him laugh. She supposed it was now or never, maybe since he was in such a good mood he wouldn't shove her away.

With a deep breath, she took a step towards him. They were close enough now that their chests brushed against each other. She was surprised he hadn't run away. Instead, he just watched her and it was odd to see that there was no panic in his eyes.

 _Okay, Carol, you can do this!_ She reassured herself. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she leaned up and placed her lips on his. It was a chaste kiss, meant to not scare him off. It felt good. Her lips on his.

But he didn't move. Didn't move away from her or move to kiss her, either

Just then the door to the tower opened and Maggie poked her head around. Her smile brightened when she saw Carol step away from Daryl, she had seen the exchange, but that smile vanished when she saw the older woman sadly shake her head.

Turning away from the redneck and short-haired woman, Maggie called down the stairs. "Glenn, you coming?"

"Yeah!" Was his eager reply and soon had joined Maggie in the doorway. Glenn wore a large smile when he spotted the two.

"Well, looks like we best be gettin' outta here." Daryl turned to her and said. It was odd that he was actually talking to her. She expected him to be halfway to their cell by now.

"Yeah." She agreed and gave him a weak smile.

 _Day Four: Kiss on the mouth. No kiss back._  
\--------------------------------------------------------  
Daryl walked by the older Greene girl and gave her a smirk as he descended the stairs. She gave him on odd look as he did, but he didn't care. He fought back the urge to say:

"Have fun with those dishes." But he knew if he did, then they would know he had read Carol's notebook and that was the last thing he wanted to happen, now.

He had plans.

**End of Part Two.**


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is the last part to this little story. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for reading! :)

** Part Three **

Daryl ran a weary hand through his hair as he walked into his cell. Carol was trying to kill him! Tonight she had kissed him for the seventh time and it was the fourth time on the mouth. He had wanted to kiss her back so badly, but knew that he couldn't.

Not yet anyway.

Plus, if he had kissed her back tonight then Rick would have won the bet. Since he had the power to decide who, if anyone would win, he had decided that no one would. An idea had formed in his head a few nights ago and he couldn't want to put it into action.

These next twenty-three days, twenty-three kisses, needed to go by faster.  
\--------------------------------------  
Carol watched as Daryl walked away from her after she had kissed him. This had been the first time he had done so in the week she'd been doing her experiment. Did that mean he was getting fed up with her invasion of his space? He hadn't yelled at her yet, so that was a good thing.

Rick found her at the sink washing that dinner's dishes. He picked up the towel beside her and began to dry the dishes. She gave him a grateful smile.

"Anything?" He asked.

"No," she sighed. She knew exactly what he had been asking about. "Do you think I should stop? I mean, all I'm doing now is embarrassing myself."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she leaned into the friendly touch. "Daryl is hard man to get through to, Carol. You of all people should know that. It's going to take him awhile to realize that someone like you cares for him." He squeezed her shoulder. "So, you keep on kissing him and he'll eventually come around. Just hopefully it happens before or after the fourteenth kiss. The last thing I want to hear is Glenn's gloating."

"Maybe I'll give Daryl an extra sloppy kiss that day." She nudged him with her hip. "That should make sure he doesn't kiss me back." She chuckled.

"Now, you don't want to scare him off completely." He smiled. "At least keep try to keep the tongue to a minimum."

Carol's laugh echoed through out the cafeteria. "I'll try."

Rick was a good friend, had been since they had gone on the run after the farm. She knew that she had been harsh on him before. She hadn't trusted him after keeping that they were all infected from them, but as they struggled and came closer those eight months, she knew she had been wrong for thinking those things.

Rick was a good man, a great man, and his primary goal had been to keep the group safe. He had formed a friendship with the rough hunter and his friendship, along with hers, had started to break Daryl out of his shell.

As he dried the last bowl, his tone became serious. "If this experiment of yours doesn't work, Carol, I'll have to have a talk with him. Even a blind man can see that he has feelings for you."

She wiped her hands on the towel Rick had just set down. "You don't have to do that, Rick. He's a grown man and maybe, these 'feelings' everyone is saying he has for me aren't the same kind feelings I have for him. For all we know, he could only see me as a sister."

"If he thought of you as a sister, he would have pushed you away after that first kiss." He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "That's what I would have done, if you had gotten into your head to kiss me."

She made a face. "I think it's safe to say I won't ever be doing that!"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I've had lots of women try to kiss me." He chuckled. "It's true that they were also drunk and I was hauling them in."

Carol couldn't help but laugh again.

"You know," Rick continued. "This whole thing you're doing with Daryl reminds me of what I did with Lori in high school."

"You two met in high school?" She hopped onto the counter top and settled in to listen to a story about her deceased good friend.

"Yep." He nodded his head. "We didn't start dating until almost the end of our senior year." His forearms leaned against the counter and he got lost in the memory. "We had been good friends for years and I always had a crush on her. Well, our senior year I decided to do something about my feelings for her. So, I kissed her."

"Aww." Carol smiled.

"She didn't kiss me back, but she didn't push me away, either. That's how I knew, that deep down she had wanted it but hadn't wanted to act on her own feelings."

"Or, she could have just tried not to hurt your feelings." She added.

"Naw, she liked me. I knew."

"Uh, huh. Okay, go on." She propped her chin in her hand and waited for him to continue.

"Well, after that I would randomly just go up to her and kiss her, much like what you're doing with Daryl, but sometimes I would kiss her a couple times a day. It lasted a week before she finally kissed me back." He smirked. "Then, after that, I asked her to prom and we started dating."

"Aw, what a nice story." She climbed off the counter and stood beside him.

"Yeah, and I think we need more of them. Especially now." His tone was serious, again. "What you're doing with Daryl, that'll be a nice story to tell others someday."  
\-----------------------------------  
Carol walked into their cell after her conversation with Rick. She had been grateful to see that he was snoring softly on his bunk. Settling herself on her bed, she reached under the mattress and pulled out the green notebook. With the pen that had been pushed through the spirals, she crossed off Rick's name on the betting list. Maggie's and Beth's had already been crossed out. Glenn was the only one left.

It would be best for everyone if the Korean didn't win. They all knew Glenn and they knew he would go around and gloat.

She slid the notebook back in its hiding place and settled down to go to sleep. But she knew sleep wouldn't come to her soon, when she heard Judith begin to cry. With a sigh, she pulled back the blankets and climbed out of bed.

"Let the little Greene get her." Daryl's voice startled her.

She turned and faced him. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was and then, Little Asskicker started to cry. Now, get your ass back in bed. You cooked and washed all the dishes today. Let someone else take care of the baby tonight."

"I'm already up, so I might as well get her." The baby was still crying, which meant no one else had gotten up to get her.

"If I have to get outta this bed and drag you to yours, I will." He was sitting up now, his legs dangling over the ladder. She could only see the outline of him as the moonlight filtered in their cell.

"And what will you do once you get me in bed, Mr. Dixon?" Turning to him, she smirked and crossed her arms over her chest.

It was too dark to see the look on his face, but a silence fell over the cell and she wondered if she had said something wrong. She teased him all the time, but maybe since she had started kissing him he started taking it more literal and freaked him out.

Suddenly he was right there, only inches of space between them and she felt his breath on her face. She hadn't even heard him hop down from his bed.

"What do you want me to do?"

Her mouth went dry at his words. Was he just teasing her back or was he being serious? She couldn't meet his eye, so she could tell.

"Um." She was speechless, even though her mind was screaming; _Press me into the sheets and have your way with me!_

Finally, she looked up and saw that he was smirking.

"What's the matter, Carol, ain't got nothin' smart to say back, huh?" His hand brushed hers and he gently gripped her bicep

Before she could reply, someone called her name. It was Carl. He now stood in the doorway to their cell with a fussing Judith in his arms. The hat he always wore was nowhere to be seen and his hair was all over the place. Like he had just woken up, which was probably what had happened.

"Can you take her, Carol? I thought she would calm down if I held her, but she's still fussing."

"Of course," she said and took the baby from his arms. "She's probably hungry. I'll go make her a bottle and you can go back to sleep."

"Thanks." And with a large yawn, he walked back to the cell he shared with his father.

She turned and was about to say something to Daryl, but found he was no longer behind her and was, instead, back in his bed. So, without another word she gently rocked the little girl in her arms and went to make her a bottle.  
\-----------------------------------  
Daryl silently cursed at himself as he watched Carol leave with Judith. He had almost ruined his plans. If he had kissed her, then that bet would be off. But when she had asked him about what he would do to her once he got her to bed, he couldn't resist and her reaction to it had been perfect.

He had made her speechless. It wasn't often when he was able to do that, because when she teased him he would usually just scoff it off and not say anything at all. This time, though, he had given it back just as much as she had given him. It felt good.

Resisting those kisses just became harder, though.  
\---------------------------  
Day 14 dawned bright and early. Daryl couldn't help but smirk over at Glenn as he ate his breakfast with Maggie, Herschel and Beth. Today would be the day he wouldn't win the bet. Maybe he could somehow have Carol kiss him while the Korean was in sights, so that he could see his loss first hand.

Speaking of Carol. Where was she? He moved his head to look around and suddenly, she was there taking the seat next to him. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"Sorry," she apologized, even though he had no idea why. "Tyreese just wanted to talk to me."

 _Well, shit._ The grip on his fork tightened and he forced himself to calm down before he spoke. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to know if I had seen Michonne anywhere. I told him she was on watch." She took a bite of her oatmeal. "I think he might have a thing for her. Sometimes, I see him watching her."

"Huh." He grunted. The news made him happy. That meant the big black man wouldn't be asking him any more questions about Carol. Good.

"Daryl?" Her voice was unsure. "Can I ask you a question?"

"'Course." Then, he smirked. "Even if I said no, you would still ask me anyway, wouldn't you?"

"Yep," she smiled and then grew serious. "Okay. Um, how come you haven't said anything about me kissing you?" She wasn't looking at him as she spoke. Her hand went to the empty space on her collarbone. Years of fiddling with her cross necklace when she was nervous had caused her to go to that spot now.

Daryl sat there for a moment, unable to think of what to say. Why hadn't he said anything? Well, maybe it was because he knew about the bet so he really didn't have a need to voice that question.

"Um, well I figured that you was gonna be kissin' me at least once everyday, so I just let it happen." He finally answered.

"Do you want me to...stop?" Her voice was small.

He shrugged.

"Do you like it?"

Once again, he shrugged.

Sighing, she must have realized that that was all she was going to get out of him, so she stood up, grabbed her empty bowl and left.

Great. He hoped he hadn't made her angry...or sad.  
\------------------------------------  
The kiss she gave him that day was just a peck on his lips before bed. She didn't even wait for a response and was already covering herself with her blanket. She knew she should just stop kissing him; it was obvious that he wasn't going to return any of them. But she was committed. She would do this to the end. It was just; now, her heart wouldn't be in the kisses anymore.

The next sixteen days went normally, except whenever Carol kissed him it was just a barely there touch of her lips and she walked away right after. She didn't act any different towards him, but he knew there was something bothering her. Was he upset because he wasn't kissing her back?

Well, today was day thirty. The last day.

He avoided her all day. He needed that last kiss to happen at night, preferably right before they went to bed. So, he found himself hanging around outside, watching the small number of walkers mill around the fences.

He heard footsteps behind him and he turned to face the newcomer, hoping it wasn't Carol.

It wasn't. It was Maggie and she didn't look happy.

"What's wrong with you, Daryl Dixon?" She nearly shouted when she got to him.

Taken aback by her angry question, he replied. "I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about, girl."

"I'm talking about what you're doing to Carol! She's been kissing you everyday and you haven't the decency to kiss her back!"

Oh, so Carol _was_ upset about him not returning her kisses. Well, hopefully after tonight she wouldn't be upset anymore.

"And don't say you don't want to!" She jabbed him hard in the chest. "Everyone in this God damn prison knows you're in love with her."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"What are you trying to do? Play with her feelings, because that's not funny, Daryl. She's been through too much to have to deal with your games. I mean-"

"I fuckin' know about your bets." He blurted.

She stopped her rant. "What?"

"The kissin' bets. I know about them." He adjusted the strap on his crossbow and looked at his boots. He hadn't meant to say anything.

"How?"

"Read her notebook."

"Daryl!" She cried.

"What? It was jus' lyin' out and I only read one page. Jus' so happens it was the page with all your bets on it."

"So, you knew what was going on the whole time?"

He nodded.

"Well, then how come you didn't kiss her back?" She asked, curious.

"I didn't want any of y'all to win it. 'Sides I have a plan."

Maggie perked up. "What's your plan?"

He leaned in close. "You can't tell _anybody._ Not even that Asian boyfriend of yours. Got it?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

Then he told her.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Tonight, would be the last night and the last kiss. After tonight, she would never kiss Daryl Dixon ever again. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Why the hell had she done this stupid experiment? It had only hurt her. Now, she knew for sure that Daryl didn't have any feelings for her.

She sat down heavily on her bed and urged herself not to cry. She wouldn't cry over this. She'd be strong. She wouldn't let him know how much he had hurt her.

"Carol?"

She looked up and saw him there.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Goin' to bed?" He walked closer and kneeled in front of her.

She found this odd, but didn't say anything about it. "No, I'm just sitting here. Thinking."

"Thinkin' about what?"

"Nothing." She sighed.

There was a small silence before he spoke again. "Well, are you goin' to kiss me again? It's almost midnight."

"It is? Oh. Well, then, come here, I guess." She motioned for him to come closer. He inched close enough, so that their noses almost touched.

"I want you to close your eyes when you kiss me, okay?" He told her.

"Why?"

"Jus' do it."

"Alright." She sighed, shut her eyes and closed the distance between them to give him a small peck on his lips. When she tried to pull away, though, his hand went to her hair and he pulled her back to him.

And...he kissed her back.

_Finally._

Carol gasped into the kiss and Daryl took that opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She wrapped her arms around his neck while their tongues slowly danced.

It all felt so wonderful.

Too soon, though, he was pulling away from her and was taking deep breaths. His thumb brushed against her cheek and he smirked.

"So, who won that bet?"

"What? You knew about that?" She didn't know if she should be angry or embarrassed.

"Yeah, I did."

She wanted to ask how, but figured he most have read her notebook. That's what she got for leaving it out, she guessed.

"Well, since you saw it then you should know that no one bet on the thirtieth kiss."

The smirk remained. "Check again."

"Daryl! Did you leave a bet? That's kind of cheating since you were the determinant of it."

"Nope, it wasn't me." He settled down on his knees and watched as she retrieved the notebook from its hiding place.

"Then who?" She looked at him quizzically.

"Open and see."

Carol opened to the page Maggie had written the bets on and sure enough on the bottom, right after Glenn's name, there was someone else's handwriting.

She gasped when she read it.

_Judith- Daryl will kiss Carol back after the thirtieth kiss. If I win, Beth and Maggie have to take care of me everynight if I wake up for a week._

It was unmistakably in Daryl's handwriting.

"Why Judith?" She asked.

"Because she's always taking you outta this cell durin' the middle of the night." He stood up and sat by her on the bed.

Carol placed the notebook the floor and faced him. "Why would you, I mean, why would Judith not want me to take care of her for a week?"

"Cause she doesn't want to interrupt you."

"Interrupt me doing what?" Just then Daryl began kissing her neck and gently pushing her down on the bed.

"Do I have to say it?" He propped himself over her and looked down.

"Every night?"

He nodded. "For a week and any other night you want to. If that's a'right with you?"

She couldn't believe this was really happening. "It is." Then she frowned.

"What?" Slight panic entered his voice.

"Protection. I-, uh, we don't have...any."

Daryl smiled and stuck his hand underneath her pillow and came back with a box of condoms. "I told you that other people needed some and I sure as hell wasn't gonna give them all to Glenn."

She smiled, pulled him down and kissed him hard.

Much, _much_ later, their clothes littered the ground and Daryl was snoring softly into her neck and one arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She felt utterly boneless.

She loved this man beside her and she was absolutely sure that he felt the same way about her.

That night, when Judith started crying, Maggie was the one to happily get up and calm her. Passing Carol and Daryl's cell, she peeked in and smiled at the couple sharing the bottom bunk.

It was about time.

** The End **


End file.
